Montana, Lott Concur: '84 49ers Were the Best

Ira Miller

Published
4:00 am PDT, Friday, July 28, 2000

2000-07-28 04:00:00 PDT Canton, Ohio -- THEY'RE CALLING it "Football's Greatest Reunion," this one-time gathering of more than 100 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame returning to Canton for the millennium year induction ceremony.

But while they are celebrated as individuals, football remains the ultimate team game. And tomorrow's enshrinement for Montana and Lott, cornerstones of four of the 49ers' five championship teams, tells you something you probably already suspected.

Montana and Lott are the first of the '80s 49ers to get to Canton, and the likelihood is that only one teammate from that era, Jerry Rice, will join them. (Steve Young didn't play a significant role until 1991, so for purposes of this discussion, he does not count.)

Clearly, few great teams ever rested as heavily on two players as the 49ers did on Montana and Lott. Almost everywhere else on the roster, the team underwent a transition between 1981 and 1989. (Only one other player, linebacker Keena Turner, was a starter at the beginning and end of the decade.) Montana and Lott, however, were there for all of it, so who is better qualified to answer this question: Which of those 1980's championship teams was the best?

And the answer -- they both picked the same team in separate interviews -- may surprise you.

Most people think first of the 1989 team, with good reason. Montana was in his prime and had his best year, statistically, Rice and John Taylor were the receivers, and the 49ers won three postseason games by the astonishing total of 100 points. In their first season under George Seifert, the players were on a mission: To prove they could win without Bill Walsh.

Even Walsh has said he thought the 49ers were operating at their peak that year.

Montana and Lott, however, did not hesitate in choosing the 1984 team as the best. That should tell you a little about the importance of a great defense, and the 49ers had one that year. With Seifert coordinating, the 49ers used nine defensive linemen interchangeably. All four of their defensive backfield starters played in the Pro Bowl that year, something no other team accomplished before or since.

The offensive line, meanwhile, essentially had been together for more than half a decade. Running backs Wendell Tyler and Roger Craig were effective. The receivers, Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon, were not Rice, but they were very good. And they finished with a franchise-best 15-1 regular-season record, 18-1 counting the playoffs. The only defeat was by three points.

"We played that year more as a team than any other," Montana said. "We had some great teams after that, but I think that was probably the most cohesive group we had. The defense had a great year. I would put that team up against almost any, even though in some areas we weren't as talented as others."

Lott pointed to the depth of the 1984 team. Such standout defensive linemen as Louie Kelcher and Gary "Big Hands" Johnson, both of whom were acquired from San Diego, were merely backups for the 49ers in '84.

"Man for man, that team could have played with any team," Lott said. "They say the '89 team was a great team, but the personalities would have beaten the team in '89 because the '84 team just had more will and desire. And more experience."

There are 136 living Hall of Famers, and all but 25 of them are expected to attend the ceremony tomorrow, a remarkable turnout which the NFL says is believed to be the largest gathering of Hall of Famers in any sport. One who is not coming -- much to the relief of organizers and others involved -- is O.J. Simpson.

For Montana and Lott, plus Dave Wilcox, Howie Long and Dan Rooney, the audience should serve as a reminder of just what they have accomplished. It's a team game, yes. But it's played by individuals. When Montana and Lott look out from the podium at that sea of Hall of Famers tomorrow, they should better understand just how special they are.

"There's so many guys who built this game, but don't get their just due," Lott said. "African-American players couldn't stay in hotels for years. The guys who started the (American Football League) made sacrifices to make that happen. A lot of people have made some incredible sacrifices in the game of football, and to me, that's why it's an incredible honor."